So I am going to ask the most vague/wide range question ever lol....how often do you work your horse, how long, and what do you do? Mainly referring to older or seasoned horses, but any answers welcome! I would like to add more drills or exercises to make sure my older dude is the best he can be, especially his booty!

Edit: I have a little hill I can trot up and down sometimes, but it isn't always doable due to weather. Also how far out do you space poles when you want to trot over them? 

I try to do something daily... even if it's just saddling up and walking around on a loose rein for 20 minutes in the pasture. I don't ride in the pen everyday day after day ...they can get bored in a hurry... sometimes I'll have one of my kids drag the smarty around the pasture for me and just track and rope a few or I'll go for a ride down the road... other days I'll work on the pattern but just a few times at a slow pace ... or I'll do another drill with more barrels or a new fun for us is poles .. I really think he likes those! I try to change it up almost daily what we do to keep his mind fresh... there are days or even weeks he won't even see a barrel or pole.. work ground poles or work on roll backs or lead changes only.. 

Northern Iowa.  From January thru March usually less than 5 rides just because of weather. I usually just trail ride and use natural obsticles.  Mostly just getting my balance back and them learning where their feet are.

 Right now all I have is finished horses that need zero tuning up on the pattern etc. I also rope on them once in a while but mainly I just trail ride and keep them in shape. I also don't run them more than couple times a month. I pick my places with only the best ground and added money. They seem to crave the pattern on this schedule. 

Finished horses I don't work on the pattern at all at home, I just keep them legged up 5 days a week and youngsters on the pattern at home get worked 5 days a week... I guess I like 5 days reguardless lol but just doing different things.

I am the queen of 20 min workouts lol.. that includes the walk time. I feel if they do everything asked in that amount of time, we are good.  I lope big circles and small circles.  (then I will work my pattern on the ones that need it in that time frame as well) 

I pasture ride one of those 5 days on all.. :) 

So 20 min is enough? If I ride it's usually at least a half hour or so but my seasoned horse I usually free lunge for 20 min a few times a week. 

It is in my mind and in my program.. I won't drill a horse to death at home, I ride them if they are doing everything asked, why not call it a day 

Same here! 20-25 minutes gets everything I need done. I have 4 head to ride everyday after work, so I don't have time for an hour on each.

My vet said a aged (9 +) finished horse with out issues, will benefit from 10 mins loping a day and 5-10 mins of walking and keeping limber. We usually try to ride about 15 mins of doing something and then walking/cooling out. Our horses stay fit and health and with out being exhausted or overly hyper. 

My finished horses with a day jackpot on the schedule included, 4 days once they are legged up.  If I am doing a weekend show, 3 days running then I ride once during the week, trotting, loping, finishing with a relaxing trail ride. Maybe lunge.

When I had training horses at least 5 days, with 3 days in a row consistent riding.  My training horses also got a lot of ground work, including lunging or driving. 

Yeah, I guess I just want to make sure he's nice and fit. We don't really do many barrel drills or patterns. 

I've been super blessed with the weather this winter as far as being able to ride all winter long so since mine never got out of shape I've been able to them fit by squeezing a ride in on my lunch hour thru the winter, usuAlly around 30 minutes long or so.  My one is an aged gelding, he doens't need any barrel work per say but I will lope a few small circles here and there as I think its important for muscle memory, other than that we do a lot of walking and trotting down the creek and breeze out every now and then for his lungs. My 11 year old I got last year about htis time and we are still kind of figuring each other out so I have barrels set up randomly out in the pasture and a track worked up, I do a lot more loping a circle around the barrel on him, more for me and my timing with him than for him .  I try to ride at least 4-5 days a week, long trotting, trotting, loping around the track that encompasses a 3 acre pasture typically 3 days a week with some barrel work worked into the workout and then 2 days a week or so I have another trotting track worked up on the top side of our property that meanders up and down some hills and around or oak trees.  The mare I dont compete on very much anymore, so this time of the year I typically put a ride them on weekends down the creek though we just had the time change so that is about to change also, I rotate them and they will start getting ridden @ 4 times a week each also.  I grew up a competitive gymnast and I am a little crazy about keeping one fit to do their job as I've been in the corner sucking air hoping I could survive my last tumblilng pass even when I was in top shape, if you weren't sucking air you knew you hadn't put your heart and soul into your choreography and dance.  I think that is how these horses feel coming off the 3rd barrel and always makes me think twice about picking up the over n under on them.

I like to ride at least 5-6 days a week when getting one legged back up and during competition season. I don't base my riding on time, but on miles and once they are in shape I like to at least do a mixture of trotting and loping (more trotting regardless of what some say) for a minimum of 2 miles with a walking warm-up and cool down. I do like to lope 5-10 small circles in each direction a couple times a week to build up those muscles and prepare them for their turns. I only work the finished horses on barrels if there is a really good reason, otherwise, I can do a lot of correction exercises off the pattern. If I am training a colt on the pattern, they may get worked 4 days on the pattern during the week and I just vary whether I do 2-3 days in a row or skip in between. Once they have the pattern down and we are starting to exhibition then I back them off pattern work.